BMW has made a surprise statement pledging to continue with efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions despite President Trump’s decision to take the US out of the Paris climate agreement.

The US branch of the German carmaker said it “has a long-standing and unwavering commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” and it will continue to prioritise this as highly as commercial interests.

More green news on Motoring Research:

As part of the 2015 Paris climate agreement, nearly 200 countries pledged to increase efforts to limit global temperatures by decreasing man-made greenhouse gas emissions. But President Trump announced on Thursday that the US would be withdrawing from the agreement as it would ultimately end up costing jobs in America.

“The United States will withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord, but begin negotiations to re-enter either the Paris Accord or really an entirely new transaction on terms that are fair to the United States,” President Trump said. “So we are getting out, but we are starting to negotiate and we’ll see if we can make a deal that’s fair.”

“The bottom line is that the Paris Accord is very unfair at the highest level to the United States,” he added.

“I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris. I promised I would exit or renegotiate any deal which fails to serve America’s interests.”

The president was criticised by numerous world leaders for the decision, including British prime minister Theresa May. And now BMW has taken the unusual step of releasing a statement reaffirming its own commitment to reducing CO2 emissions.

“The BMW Group has a long-standing and unwavering commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” said BMW North America in a statement.

“This applies to our production operations as well as to continuous improvements in fuel economy and the reduction of emissions from our vehicles. Protecting the environment and economic prosperity must go hand-in-hand in the future.

“As a business player, the BMW Group has over many years engaged in the international business and policy dialogue leading up to the Paris Agreement. The BMW Group welcomed the conclusion of the Paris Climate Agreement.

“Despite challenges and disappointments, there is no doubt, combatting global warming requires the collaboration of all players at a global level – national, regional as well as government and private sector.

“As in the past, the BMW Group will continue to work at an international level – including with US stakeholders – to facilitate the reduction of greenhouse gases and address global warming.

“The BMW Group commitment to sustainability, to our customers and to the markets we serve around the world will not change.”

About Motoring Research

Motoring Research is a multimedia publisher that’s been delivering the goods to clients since 1986.

We are growing fast, developing the Motoring Research Network of freelancers around our highly experienced in-house team. Together, we have more than half a century’s experience of motoring journalism…